The closest thing I can comp to is the fact that, until very recently, all large scale combat in our group used the old BattleSystem rules if the game we were playing didn't have its own system. It worked fairly well, because it didn't trample on the toes of the other system; we completely compartmentalized it.
Different Rulesets, Same Campaign
- Thread starter jdcash
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Liquid Awesome
We've done a few things like this over the years.
First (and most mildly I suppose) I ran a 3.0 campaign that was my first 3e campaign for about a year. Then, 2 or 3 years later, we decided to revisit that campaign and we converted to 3.5.
Sometime after that I wanted to "test drive" a couple systems for the group to see how they liked them. The players made Risus characters (which is incredibly easy, fast and rules light) and played the first half of the adventure. Then I took their characters and converted them over to Savage Worlds and they played the second half of the adventure on subsequent sessions. Actually worked out extremely well due to the way that Risus characters are conceptualized as Cliches, which were then very easy to visualize as SW characters once I saw how the players played them. Ultimately the rest of the group decided that they liked SW and were lukewarm about Risus (though I still think that Risus is absolutely awesome for some types of games).
The other thing we did was to use the Warhammer Fantasy Battles rules for playing out large conflicts when we were playing WFRP2. The GM had a lot of familiarity with the wargame rules and he structured the campaign so that there were 3 or 4 such battles over the course of it. Was a of fun and nice change of pace on the nights we did the battles.
Similarly when I ran WFRP2 as a "Warhammer Pirates of the Caribbean" game, we used the Pirates of the Spanish Main ships as minis for the "naval combat mini-game" that I designed to go with that system. It was pretty fast and easy for most of the encounters we used it for. Maybe took 20 minutes of ship to ship battle before the boarding action started and we reverted to regular WFRP combat. And we had one or two big naval battles that took maybe an hour to hour and a half to resolve.
Overall I'd say that my experience with different systems tossed in as a change of pace have been very positive.
First (and most mildly I suppose) I ran a 3.0 campaign that was my first 3e campaign for about a year. Then, 2 or 3 years later, we decided to revisit that campaign and we converted to 3.5.
Sometime after that I wanted to "test drive" a couple systems for the group to see how they liked them. The players made Risus characters (which is incredibly easy, fast and rules light) and played the first half of the adventure. Then I took their characters and converted them over to Savage Worlds and they played the second half of the adventure on subsequent sessions. Actually worked out extremely well due to the way that Risus characters are conceptualized as Cliches, which were then very easy to visualize as SW characters once I saw how the players played them. Ultimately the rest of the group decided that they liked SW and were lukewarm about Risus (though I still think that Risus is absolutely awesome for some types of games).
The other thing we did was to use the Warhammer Fantasy Battles rules for playing out large conflicts when we were playing WFRP2. The GM had a lot of familiarity with the wargame rules and he structured the campaign so that there were 3 or 4 such battles over the course of it. Was a of fun and nice change of pace on the nights we did the battles.
Similarly when I ran WFRP2 as a "Warhammer Pirates of the Caribbean" game, we used the Pirates of the Spanish Main ships as minis for the "naval combat mini-game" that I designed to go with that system. It was pretty fast and easy for most of the encounters we used it for. Maybe took 20 minutes of ship to ship battle before the boarding action started and we reverted to regular WFRP combat. And we had one or two big naval battles that took maybe an hour to hour and a half to resolve.
Overall I'd say that my experience with different systems tossed in as a change of pace have been very positive.
making a mini-game out of something might be a bit different than switching rulesets.
I've used my own homebrew large battle resolution systen for wars (invented from a rough description of Battlesystem).
I gave my friend the idea to use Jenga for certain physical skill challenges (adapted from Dread)
Back in high school, I once pitted a 2e PC vs. a BatlleTech Atlas because my friend said he could take one. I decided to keep things fair, that the mechanism of their meeting would be via some portal, such that the PC would be the same size as the 100 ton 'Mech. And that both sides would use their own rules for combat. Thus, I gave the atlas an AC, and I made the PC roll hit locations. Damage was 1:1 once a hit was resolved.
It was an entertaining distraction.
I've used my own homebrew large battle resolution systen for wars (invented from a rough description of Battlesystem).
I gave my friend the idea to use Jenga for certain physical skill challenges (adapted from Dread)
Back in high school, I once pitted a 2e PC vs. a BatlleTech Atlas because my friend said he could take one. I decided to keep things fair, that the mechanism of their meeting would be via some portal, such that the PC would be the same size as the 100 ton 'Mech. And that both sides would use their own rules for combat. Thus, I gave the atlas an AC, and I made the PC roll hit locations. Damage was 1:1 once a hit was resolved.
It was an entertaining distraction.
Stormonu
NeoGrognard
I've done it inside D&D with converting characters from basic to 1e and from 2e to 3e ( not the same groups, though). While the shift from basic to 1E was simple - it was purely additive, the 2e to 3e proved a little troublesome in accurately representing multiclassed characters (especially wizard/fighter).
Outside of D&D, I have also done it with Star Wars d6 and Star Wars d20 (two very different approaches to the same world). That didn't go over very well.
And recently, I've used Chronicles of Ramlar and Savage Worlds as an alternative to the D&D rules for my home campaign. In some ways, they actually fit far better than the old d&d rules did.
Outside of D&D, I have also done it with Star Wars d6 and Star Wars d20 (two very different approaches to the same world). That didn't go over very well.
And recently, I've used Chronicles of Ramlar and Savage Worlds as an alternative to the D&D rules for my home campaign. In some ways, they actually fit far better than the old d&d rules did.
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